Veterinary toothbrush having dual heads

ABSTRACT

The present invention presents a veterinary toothbrush having dual heads. The presented solution provides a cost-saving measure for connecting or attaching two conventionally known standard toothbrushes to form a dual-headed toothbrush. The present invention focuses on various mechanisms such as pinning, welding, or dipping of two conventionally known standard toothbrushes to permanently form a single toothbrush with a dual head with bristles. According to an aspect, the two existing toothbrushes may be plastic dipped to form a single dual-head brush. According to another aspect, the two existing toothbrushes may be welded together to form a single dual head brush. In another mechanism, the two existing toothbrushes may be joined or pinned together to form a single dual head brush.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/162,153 filed on Mar. 17, 2021. The content of the above application is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to the field of devices for the care of teeth of domestic animals, and, more particularly, to a veterinary toothbrush having dual heads. The present invention focuses on a system for effectively fixing two existing toothbrushes together to form the veterinary toothbrush having dual heads. This may help to avoid tooling up to make a brand-new design that is cost-prohibitive. The toothbrush with dual heads may be used for comprehensive cleaning of the teeth of such animals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general, it is well known that domestic animals such as cats and dogs should have their teeth brushed in order to prevent the build-up of tartar and plaque along the outer surfaces and in the interproximal areas between the teeth. Such build-up prevention is important otherwise it may lead to gum disease, tooth loss, and unpleasant smelling breath. Many pet owners are reluctant to clean their pet's teeth because of the time it takes and the difficulty in brushing, particularly as the brushing progresses and the pet becomes agitated. In lieu of brushing the pet's teeth, many pet owners take their pets to the veterinarian for brushing. In a few instances, pet owners also like to perform the brushing of their pets on a daily basis. However, many of the available toothbrushes have only one head with one set of bristles. Yet, the prior art is replete with variations of toothbrushes that attempt to vary the formation of the toothbrush and/or the bristles to improve the effectiveness of the toothbrush. These examples, however, are designed for human use and are not particularly suited for pets as they do not allow for simultaneous full coverage of the mesial, distal and occlusal surfaces of the teeth, while cleaning and massaging the opposing teeth and propping the animal's jaw open, at the same time. These features are particularly beneficial when brushing pets' teeth because of the need to thoroughly clean the teeth as quickly as possible before the pet becomes too agitated. Few of the prior arts also disclose toothbrushes having two or more heads with two or more sets of bristles.

For example, KR20190048210A discloses a toothbrush having a flexible multiple toothbrush head, and more particularly to a toothbrush having a single toothbrush head type toothbrush or a conventional two-toothbrush head type toothbrush head which is fixed in a fixed shape with a predetermined distance therebetween.

GB2169499A discloses a toothbrush comprising a handle formed with a pair of elongate shanks, one end of each of said shanks being provided with a brush head and said shanks being connected together with their brush heads facing generally inwardly and being spaced from one another in an equilibrium position of the brush and movable forwards one another against a resilient bias, the connection between said shanks being spaced from the heads by a distance such that by pressing said shanks together against said resilient bias said heads may be pushed towards one another and towards the teeth with a variable pressure during brushing.

All the above mention prior arts and others (which are not mentioned here) disclose different methods and systems for manufacturing new toothbrushes for pet animals. Designing or tooling up to create a completely new toothbrush design is cost-prohibitive for such a low-volume item, and therefore invention herein proposes a system or mechanism for effectively fixing two existing toothbrushes together that can be efficiently and effectively used for pet's brushing. In light of the foregoing, the present invention focuses on a method and a system for effectively fixing two existing toothbrushes together to form the veterinary toothbrush having dual heads. This may help to avoid tooling up to make a brand-new design that is cost-prohibitive.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To minimize the limitations in the prior art, and to minimize other limitations that will be apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention describes a cost-saving measure of connecting or attaching two existing toothbrushes to form a dual-headed toothbrush. The present invention focuses on various mechanisms such as pinning, welding, or dipping of at least two toothbrushes to permanently form a single brush with a dual head with bristles. In one mechanism, at least two existing toothbrushes may be plastic dipped to form a single dual-head brush. In another mechanism, at least two existing toothbrushes may be welded together to form a single dual-head brush. In another mechanism, at least two existing toothbrushes may be pinned together to form a single dual-head brush. In another mechanism, at least two existing toothbrushes may be joined or pinned together by performing a heat-shrink method in a manner similar to the plastic-dip method.

One object of the present invention discloses a dual-headed toothbrush for veterinary purposes. The brush may include dual heads that are opposite to each other such that the bristle surfaces are substantially facing one another. The dual heads are at opposite angles. Further, each brush head is supported by its own neck. The system has been designed to integrate at least two existing toothbrushes. Possible modes may include a handle adapted to hold two brushes, or a plastic dip that permanently fixes two brushes together, or a heat-shrink method that joins the toothbrushes in a manner similar to the plastic-dip method. The space between the necks of the toothbrush has the advantage of preventing an animal from biting onto the neck. The chewy brush handle may be produced using the dip molding technique. The silicone handle screws over the brush handle end that have the screw threads aligned to keep the brush heads at their intended positions.

The brush handle may use two over-the-counter toothbrushes such that it is holding them together at opposing angles to create a channel that allows the toothbrushes to guide between the teeth of the pet animals while achieving brush action on both sides of the teeth. If a pet animal bites, the teeth may go between the brushes keeping the brush heads on either side of the teeth. In some other exemplary scenarios, the toothbrushes may be used to guide between the teeth of a human being while achieving brush action on both sides of the teeth.

The brush handle has been designed such that it can hold at least two toothbrushes in a static position with the heads opposing at opposite angles in an intended position. This may be accomplished with a silicone handle where the brushes are pushed into the handle or with a handle that screws over the brush handle ends that have screw threads aligned to keep the brush heads at their intended positions. The handle may be produced using the dip molding technique allowing a user to use over-the-counter toothbrushes and insert them into a void in the handle which properly aligns the brush heads in opposing angles.

Thus, an objective of the present invention is to disclose a mechanism in which at least two standard toothbrushes may be fused together, clipped together, snapped together, or joined in any manner or held together by a handle so that the brush heads are met at opposing angles. When a pet animal or a human being bites, the teeth are captured between the brush head keeping the teeth centered on the dual brush surface and held in the track of the opposing handles ensuring brush contact to gums and teeth.

Various advantages and features of the present invention are described herein with specificity so as to make the present invention understandable to one of ordinary skill in the art, both with respect to how to practice the present invention and how to make the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Elements in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale in order to enhance their clarity and improve understanding of these various elements and embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, elements that are known to be common and well understood to those in the industry are not depicted in order to provide a clear view of the various embodiments of the invention.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of various examples. It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example in association with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1A-1C are diagrams that illustrate a dual-headed toothbrush with its handle dipped in plastic, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates a handle that is adapted to hold two toothbrushes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A-3C are diagrams that illustrate an integration process in which the handle is adapted to hold two toothbrushes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram that illustrates a use case scenario in which a user is using a double-headed brush for cleaning a tooth of a pet animal, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain terminology is used in the following description for reference only and is not limiting. The words “front,” “rear,” “anterior,” “posterior,” “lateral,” “medial,” “upper,” “lower,” “outer,” “inner,” and “interior” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the invention, and designated parts thereof, in accordance with the present disclosure. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are not limited to one element, but instead should be read as meaning “at least one.” The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.

Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention utilizes a combination of components, which constitutes a system for effectively fixing two existing toothbrushes together to form the veterinary toothbrush having dual heads. This may help to avoid tooling up to make a brand-new design that is cost-prohibitive. The toothbrush with dual heads may be used for comprehensive cleaning of the teeth of animals or human users. Accordingly, the components have been represented, showing only specific details that are pertinent for an understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that may be readily apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. As required, the detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.

The words “comprising”, “having”, “containing”, and “including”, and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

The veterinary toothbrush having dual heads will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which should be regarded as merely illustrative without restricting the scope and ambit of the present invention.

FIGS. 1A-1C are diagrams that illustrate a dual-headed toothbrush 100 with its handle dipped in plastic, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, two existing toothbrushes are taken, and their tails are joined together by performing a plastic dip process to form a handle 108. Additionally, at least two existing toothbrushes may be joined or pinned together by performing a heat-shrink method in a manner similar to the plastic-dip method without limiting the scope of the present invention. Each toothbrush includes a head portion 102 a or 102 b, bristles 104 a or 104 b, and a neck portion 106 a or 106 b. The two toothbrushes are joined together such that the bristles 104 a and 104 b are facing each other at a predefined angle and their tails are dipped into a plastic mold. This will create a plastic covering all-around the tails of the two toothbrushes. For example, the brush 100 may include dual heads 102 a and 102 b that are opposite to each other such that the bristle 104 a and 104 b are substantially facing one another. The dual heads 102 a and 102 b (and so are the corresponding bristles 104 a,104 b) are at opposite angles. Further, each brush head 102 a or 102 b is supported by its own neck 106 a or 106 b. The system has been designed to integrate at least two existing toothbrushes as shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. The necks 106 a, 106 b are spaced apart from each other. The space between the necks 106 a and 106 b of the dual-head toothbrush 100 has the advantage of preventing an animal from biting onto the necks 106 a, 106 b of the toothbrush 100. If a pet animal attempts to bite the necks 106 a, 106 b of the toothbrush 100, the teeth of the pet would go between the space keeping the brush heads on either side of the teeth. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide the toothbrush 100 for brushing domestic animals' teeth wherein two sets of bristles are set opposite each other to cover the mesial and distal portions of the teeth. In some other exemplary scenarios, the proposed toothbrush 100 may be used to guide between the teeth of a human being while achieving brush action on both sides of the teeth. It is another object to provide the toothbrush 100 as described above that is sturdy, and yet economical to manufacture. It is another object to provide the toothbrush 100 with soft bristles. It is still another object to provide the toothbrush 100 that allows for a thorough brushing of the pets' teeth. It is yet another object to provide a mechanism as described above that is efficient to produce the toothbrush 100, enabling the person brushing the teeth to complete the process thoroughly, yet quickly. It is still another object to provide the toothbrush 100 that may help to keep the jaw open while softening the bite of a domestic animal.

FIG. 2 is a diagram 200 that illustrates a handle 206 that is adapted to hold two toothbrushes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The handle 206 may be made up of a plastic or silicone material. Further, there is provided two connectors 204 a and 204 b, and each connector is provided with a slot (not seen) on one end and a screw thread (not seen) on another end. In another embodiment, each of the connectors 204 a and 204 b may be fixedly connected (pre welded) to the handle 206. A user may insert a tail portion of one toothbrush 202 a into one slot of the connector 204 a and a tail portion of another toothbrush 202 b into another slot of another connector 204 b. The tail portions of the toothbrushes 202 a, 202 b may be removably inserted within the slots of the connectors 204 a, 204 b. A locking mechanism may be deployed or used by the user to temporarily or permanently lock or at least tighten the tail portions of each toothbrush 202 a or 202 b into the slots of the respective connector 204 a or 204 b.

In some other embodiments, the tail portions of each toothbrush 202 a or 202 b may be permanently fixed into the slots of the respective connector 204 a or 204 b. Thereafter, the user may insert a screw thread portion of each connector 204 a or 204 b into a hollow portion of the handle 206 and then rotate them together to tighten within the hollow portion. This integration process in which the handle 206 is adapted to hold two toothbrushes has been described in detail below in conjunction with FIGS. 3A-3C.

FIGS. 3A-3C are diagrams 300 that illustrate an integration process in which the handle is adapted to hold two toothbrushes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 3A-3C, there is shown two toothbrushes 302 a and 302 b that are fitted (either permanently attached or removably attached) to the connectors 304 a and 304 b from the top as shown. Each connector 304 a or 304 b has a threaded portion including screw thread 308 a or 308 b, respectively. Further, each threaded portion with screw thread 308 a or 308 b is semi-circular in design as shown. The threaded portions with screw threads 308 a and 308 b form a circular shape when both of them are attached or joined or pasted together as shown in FIG. 3B. Thereafter, the threaded portions with screw threads 308 a and 308 b (in its circular shape) may be inserted into a hollow column of the handle 306 as shown and is rotated, either clockwise or anti-clockwise, to lock the connectors 304 a and 304 b with the toothbrushes 302 a and 302 b into the handle 306. This whole set-up of the integrated toothbrush 100 may then be used for brushing domestic animals' teeth wherein two sets of bristles are set opposite each other to cover the mesial and distal portions of the teeth. In some other exemplary scenarios, the integrated toothbrush may also be used for brushing humans' teeth wherein two sets of bristles are set opposite each other to cover the inside and outside portions of the teeth.

FIG. 4 is a diagram 400 that illustrates a use case scenario in which a user is using his or her hand 404 to hold or grasp a double-headed brush 100 for cleaning a tooth 402 of a pet animal 406, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The toothbrush 100 may be formed by using a mechanism in which at least two standard toothbrushes may be fused together, clipped together, snapped together, or joined in any manner or held together by a handle so that the brush heads are met at opposing angles. When the animal bites, the teeth are captured between the brush head keeping the teeth centered on the dual brush surface and held in the track of the opposing handles ensuring brush contact to gums and teeth.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A double head toothbrush, comprising: a first toothbrush and a second toothbrush, each of the first toothbrush and the second toothbrush comprises a head portion having bristles, and a tail portion; a first connector having a first slot located at a first end and a first screw thread located at an opposing end to the first end, wherein the tail portion of the first toothbrush is connected to the first slot of the first connector; a second connector having a second slot at a second end and a second screw thread located at an opposing end to the second end, the tail portion of the second toothbrush is connected to the second slot of the second connector; a handle with a hollow portion; and wherein, the first screw thread and the second screw thread are joined together and combinedly inserted and rotated into the hollow portion of the handle to attach the first connector and second connectors thereto.
 2. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first toothbrush and the second toothbrush are standard conventional toothbrushes.
 3. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first screw thread and the second screw thread are semi-circular in shape.
 4. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first screw thread and the second screw thread when joined together form a circular shape.
 5. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the tail portion of the first toothbrush and the tail portion of the second toothbrush are removably or fixedly connectable to the first slot of the first connector, and the second slot of the second connector respectively.
 6. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first screw thread and the second screw thread are joined together ensuring the head portion of the first toothbrush and the head portion of the second toothbrush are aligned at an opposing angle.
 7. The double head toothbrush of claim 6, wherein the head portion of the first toothbrush and the head portion of the second toothbrush are aligned at the opposing angle creating a space between a first neck of the first toothbrush and a second neck of the second toothbrush.
 8. The double head toothbrush of claim 7, wherein the space between the first neck of the first toothbrush and the second neck of the second toothbrush prevents an animal from biting onto the first neck and the second neck of the toothbrush during the brushing process.
 9. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the handle is made up of plastic or silicone.
 10. The double head toothbrush of claim 6, wherein the head portion of the first toothbrush and the head portion of the second toothbrush are aligned at the opposing angle such that the bristle surfaces of each of the head portions of the first toothbrush and the second toothbrush are substantially facing one another.
 11. A double head toothbrush, comprising: a first toothbrush and a second toothbrush, each of the first toothbrush and the second toothbrush comprises a head portion having bristles, and a tail portion; a handle; a first connector having a first slot at a first end and connected to the handle at an opposing end to the first end, wherein the tail portion of the first toothbrush is connected to the first slot of the first connector; a second connector having a second slot at a second end and connected to the handle at an opposing end to the second end, the tail portion of the second toothbrush is connected to the second slot of the second connector; and wherein, the tail portion of the first toothbrush and the tail portion of the second toothbrush connected to the first connector and the second connector ensure the head portion with bristles of the first toothbrush and the head portion with bristles of the second toothbrush are aligned at the opposing angle creating a space between a first neck of the first toothbrush and a second neck of the second toothbrush.
 12. A double head toothbrush, comprising: a first toothbrush and a second toothbrush, each of the first toothbrush and the second toothbrush comprises a head portion having bristle, and a tail portion; wherein, the tail portion of the first toothbrush and the tail portion of the second toothbrush are joined or pinned together forming a handle graspable by a user; wherein the tail portion of the first toothbrush and the tail portion of the second toothbrush are joined or pinned together using at least a plastic dip method, and a heat-shrink method; and wherein, the tail portion of the first toothbrush and the tail portion of the second toothbrush joined together ensuring the head portion with bristle of the first toothbrush and the head portion with bristles of the second toothbrush are aligned at an opposing angle creating a space between a first neck of the first toothbrush and a second neck of the second toothbrush. 